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the category of "illegal immigrant" or "illegal alien" is a mode of structuring racism, yes. whether it is in itself racist is not obvious---that it can blur into racism in for many people is also obvious, but they add the racism (and so are responsible for it)--what the categories seem to me mostly to be about though is the same kind of odious nonsense that the notion of "terrorist" is about--enabling a distinction us/them inside/outside to be drawn.
so metaphorically, it is already about putting up gates around the community "we" inhabit.
that the category is based on fundamentally false premises seems not to disturb folk who find it reassuring to imagine themselves walling themselves off from "contamination" by the big scary bad Other.
that the stats which seem to support such nonsense are self-evidently partial seems also not to bother people.
maybe it's too much work to think about it, and much easier to simply combine "illegal alien" with the illusion that the united states is so fabulous that everyone on earth wants to come in and stay in, and will set up shop on your lawn unless you ward them off with one of your many many guns.
the fact that this is nothing more than a narcisstic circle jerk is not fun. being paranoid is fun.
its the amurican way these days.
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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear
it make you sick.
-kamau brathwaite
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